Why do adult dogs ‘play’?

摘要: Among the Carnivora, play behaviour is usually made up of motor patterns characteristic predatory, agonistic and courtship behaviour. Domestic dogs are unusual in that routinely performed by adults, both socially, with conspecifics humans, also asocially, objects. This enhanced playfulness commonly thought to be a side effect paedomorphosis, perpetuation juvenile traits into adulthood, but here we suggest functions different types sufficiently distinct they unlikely have arisen through single evolutionary mechanism. Solitary objects appears derived from predatory behaviour: preferred toys those can dismembered, complex habituation-like feedback system inhibits resistant alteration. Intraspecific social structurally interspecific may therefore motivationally serve goals; for example, often compete over when playing other dogs, more cooperative partner human. The majority do not seem regard competitive games played human as "dominance" contests: rather, winning possession during simply rewarding. Play an important factor sociality, since capable extracting information only which participate, observe between third parties. We domestic dog's contexts adaptive trait, selected domestication facilitate training specific purposes, formation emotionally-based bonds dog owner. frequency form indicator quality dog-owner relationships.